Electric stop motion for looms



- March 15,1927.

; ELECTRIC STOP' MOTION FOR LOOMS J.- DONNELLY Filed July 22, 1926 2 Shasta-Sheet r 162i '5 March J. DONNELLY 9 ,3 ELECTRIC STQP MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed July 22, 1926 2 Shafts-$11001. 2

Patented Mar. 15, 1927.

' UNH' sr'rss aifur 'FFITCE;

JAMES DONNELLY, on PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. I

ELECTRIC STOP MOTION FOR LOOMS.

Application filed July 22, 1926. Serial lilo-124,165.

disclosed hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 illustrates diagrammatically. one

of the heddle frames of a loom and its supporting mechanism having my. improved stop motion control associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a fron't elevation of my control unit drawn on an enlarged scale; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1, one of the heddle frames is illustrated at 1. Thread eyes 2 are suitably secured in the frame 1 for receiving the war threads of the fabric being woven. The frame 1 is supported by means of straps 3, a 3 which pass around suitable pulley wheels 4, d'rotatably mounted on the frame of the loom (not shown). An oscillating lever 5 is pivotally attached to loom frame at 6. One ofthe straps 3 is attached to the lower end-of the lever 5 at 7 and the other strap 3 being attached to the upper forked end of the lever 5 at 8.

The upper end 8 of, the lever 5 is alsojconnected by means of a wire 9 to one arm 10 of a bell-crank lever or j ack11, pivoted at 12 to the loom frame. The other arm 13. ofthe bell-crank lever 11 is connected by a wire 14 to one end of a strap 15 which passes around a pulley 1-6 rotatably mounted onthe loom frame. The opposite-"end of the strap 15 is connected by means of a wire 17 to one end of a strap 18 which passes around a pulley '19, rotatably mounted on the loom frame. The other end of the strap 18 is connected to thecentre ofa bow wire 20, the ends of which are attached to the lower side of, the frame 1, adjacent each end thereof.

The mechanism just described is common to looms adapted to weave fabrics of great variety as to texture and design. Some looms are provided with as many as twenty' five heddle frames of the form above described placed in the loom frame side by side or parallel to each other and each heddle frame is provided with asupporting harness of the form above described.

The different heddle frames are relatively raised and lowered by suitable design forming mechanism to form the shed and pattern of the fabric, said mechanism being connected to the jack 11 in any suitable manner. It will be noted that by oscillatingfthe jack 11, the heddle frame will be raised and lowered.

To form a perfect shed, the harness above describe must be held taut in order to raise and lower the heddle frame in a. substantlally horizontal plane.

would be a heddle frame raised higher on i one edge than on the other, permitting the warp threads at the low side'to remain'in the path of the shuttle which carries the weft threads through the open warp shed, resulting in broken warp threads or endsreferred to 111 the trade as smashes.

Slackness of the harness will also cause loose woven fabric. and fabr1c having some of the warp threads floating on the under Should the l ar-- vness become slack at an point th result side of the fabric due to -the fact that they were not raised to a proper level to be woven into the fabric. This condition may exist for a's considerable length of time and the weaver would not be aware of the fact.

The principal object of my invention is to prevent such conditions by automatically stopping the loom immediately upon the harness of any one of the heddle frames becoming slack, which may be caused bya broken or strained supporting strap or wire or any one offa number of different causes well known in the art of weaving.

To attam th s ob ect I provide an inverted U-shaped frame 25 which bridges the series of parallel wires 17. The legs 26 of the bridge frame 25 are grooved at 27 to receive the ends 28, 28 of an adjustable frame 29 having upper and lower rails 30 and 31 connecting the end rails, 28, 28. Adjusting bolts 32, 32' pass through the bridgebeam 25, and are adapted to threaded openings 33, 33 in the upper rail 30 0f the adjustable frame 29. r

A series of contact needles 35, 35 are vertically and slidably mounted in the upper and lower rails 30 and31 of the frame .29. Each contact needle 35 is provided, intermediate said ,rails, with a block 36having an aperture 37 passing therethrough.

For each heddle frame 1 in use in the loom, the number of which may vary accord ing to the fabric being woven, the associated wire 17 passes through the aperture 37 of the respective needle and supports the needle substantially in the position shown at A,

in the position B, Fig. 2, by means of set screws 38 tapped into the upper rail and adapted to engage the inoperative needles .35 as shown, lock nuts 39 being provided to prevent the loosening of the set screws 38 by vibration of the loom. A limit bar 40 for the upward movement of the. needles is mounted on the adjusting screws 32, see Figs. 2 and 3. V

"Each needle 35 is provided with a spring 41' intermediate the upper side of the block 36 and lower side of the upper rail 30 of the frame 29.

Under normal operating conditions and when the supporting harness of the heddle frames 1, 1 are taut the wire 17 of each thereof supports the corresponding needle 35' in the A position shown in Fig. 2, however, should the harness become slack, due to a broken or strained strap or wire or some other; reason, the wire 1'? will become slack, permitting the needle 35 associated there- With to move downward under the influence of its spring 41 until the point 42 of the needle engages a contact which is adjustably mounted in a conductor bar 44.

The conductor bar 44 is secured at each of its ends in a head 45 slidably mounted in a slot 46 formed in each leg 26 of the bridge frame 25.- Insulating bushings and washers 47- and 48, prevent electrical. contact between the'bar44v and each head 45. vEach head'45 is provided with a lug 49 adapted to receive the head 50 of a bolt 51 which passes through alug' 52 on each leg 26, by means of which the conductor bar 44 may be vertically adjusted relative to the points 42 of the needles35 which are adjusted relative to the normal position of the wires 17 by adjusting the frame 29, a nut 53 being provided on each bolt 51 and adapted to engage the upper side of each lug 52.

'Set screws and lock nuts 54 and55 respectlvely maintain the contacts 43 m posit on within the conductor bar 44.

As'shown in Fig. 1, a source of electrical energy is illustrated at 56 and is connected in ser es w1th the coil 57 of the el-ectro-mag'- netic trip mechanism of the loom by means of which mechanism, forming no part of my invention, is set in motion to stop the loom when the electro-m'agnetic trip mechanism is energized. A conductor 58 connects one side of the sourcezjof energ 56 with the bridge frame 25 and a second conductor connects nesses become slack, its associated wire 17 will likewise become slack permitting the point 42 of the contact needle 35 to drop into contact with the corresponding contact 43 on the bar 44 therebyfl completing the electrical circuit which passes from the source of energy 56, conductor 58',bridge frame 25, adjustable frame 29, needle 35, contact'43, conductor bar 44, conductor 59, coil 57, conductor 60 and back to the opposite side of said source of energy, thereby causing the electro-magnetic trip mechanism 57 to function and thereby stop the loom immediately upon the occurrence of slack.

in the harness.

"Havrng fully described one preferred form of mechanism for attaining the ob ect ofmy invention, modifications and equivalents thereof will obviously present themselves to one mechanically trained, therefore onl 1 such limitations should be laced 7 upon the scope of my invention as are prescribed in the appended claims, or dictated.

tact when the harness becomes'slack; a frame bridging said horizontal element for supportlng said contacts; means for insulating one of said contacts from said frame; a

frame for supporting said movable elements in said bridge frame; means for adjusting said supporting frame relative to the normal operating-plane of said horizontal element and means for adjusting said fixed contact relative to said movable contact.

2. In combination with a loom employing heddle frames, a normally taut' harness for operating each'of said heddle frames and an electrical stop motion for said loom, a normally open, switch for said stop motion comprising a bridge frame; a conductor bar mounted in and insulated from said bridge frame; a supporting frame mounted in said bridge frame; fixed contacts on sald conductor bar; relatively movable contacts slidably mounted on said supportingframe each movable contact engaging a normally taut element of said harness; and a spring on each of said movable contacts for effecting the closing of said switch when said normally taut element becomes slack.

3. In combination with a loom employing heddle frames, a normally taut harness for operating each of said heddle frames and an electrical stop motion for said loom, a normally open switch for said stop motion comprising a bridge frame; a conductor bar mounted in and insulated from said bridge frame; a supporting frame mounted in said bridge frame; fixed contacts on said conductor bar; relatively movable contacts" slidably mounted on said supporting frame each movable contact engaging a normally taut element of said harness; and a spring on each of said movable contacts for effecting the closing of said switch "when said normally taut element becomes slack; a limit stop for said movable contacts; RHCl'lDGlDS for selectively maintaining said movable contacts in their open positions. 4. In combination with a loom employing heddle frames, a normally taut harness for operating each of said heddle frames and an electrical stop'motion for'said loom, anormally open switch for said stop motion comprising a bridge frame; a conductor bar mounted in and insulated from said bridge each movable contact engaging a normally frame; a supporting frame mounted in said bridge frame; fixed contacts on said conductor bar; relatively movable contacts slidably mounted on said supporting frame taut element of said harness; and aspring on each of said movable contacts for effecting the closing of said switch-When said normally taut element becomes slack; means for adjusting the position of the supporting normally open switch for said stop motion comprlsmg a bridge frame; a conductor bar mounted in and insulated from said bridge frame; a supporting frame mounted in said bridge frame; fixed contacts on said conductor bar; relatively movable contacts slidably mounted on said supporting frameeach movable contact engaging a normally taut element of'said harness; a spring on each of said movablecontacts forefiecting the closing of said switch when said normally taut element becomes slack; means for adjusting the position of the supporting frame relative to the bridge frame; means for adjusting the position of the conductor bar relative to the bridge frame; and means for adjusting the fixed contacts on said con ductor bar relative'to thermovable contacts on said supporting frame.

' JAMES DONNELLY. 

